Friday, August 10, 2012

Go Green While Choosing an Office Space

Are you motivated to build an energy-efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable business? If yes, then finding an eco-friendly or green commercial office space must be your first step towards the goal. There are numerous subtle factors which reveal the green status of a space. If you want to go green, then following are some of the most crucial features that you should consider while choosing a new office space. Even if you are planning to have an office refurbished then make sure that your workplace has all these features.

* Natural light - Decreasing dependence on the artificial light implies relying more on sun's natural light and using less electricity. This eventually reduces your energy bills by helping you save a great deal of money. To maximize the effect of sunlight, you can choose reflective or light-colored office interiors.

* Windows - Today, most offices are outfitted with sealed windows, in order to easily control and monitor the climate inside. However, a more eco-friendly option is to have large windows, which can be kept shut in winters but opened during summers to decrease load on the air-conditioning units that use a good amount of energy. So, see to it that your new office does have large windows to welcome the sunlight.

* Proximity to the public transportation - If your employees take public transport to reach your office, then they can significantly reduce the overall impact that your company has on environment. Thus, as an employer, you should provide your employees with the easiest and most convenient way to arrive at the office i.e. via public transportation and not by their own conveyance.

* Insulation - Lack of proper insulation is one of the most common causes of energy wastage. So, another thing that you need to make sure while choosing an office space is that it does not lose heat easily. This applies even if your workspace is situated in an extremely cold climate. To know the total energy consumption of your office, you can seek services of power consumption evaluators, who would not only tell you how much total energy is consumed by your office but also suggest appropriate solutions. The best part is that usually these solutions are quite cost-effective.

* Solar panels - It is one of the most popular features of green offices. Solar panels can generate electricity in a natural way using the sunlight. There are several equipment in an office that require power to work, such as computers, servers, fax machines, printers, photocopiers etc. The presence of so many machines consumes more energy, leading to higher electricity bills. To cut back on these costs, installation of solar panels can work wonders. If you already have or are planning to look for a large commercial property, then you would apparently have more space for installing them. On big properties, they can be installed on the roof, in the car parks, gardens, sheltered walkways and other spaces.